🔗 Share this article

Nigeria's impressive new Museum of West African Art (Mowaa) has found itself in the middle of local power politics during the week it was supposed to – but did not manage – to welcome visitors to the public for the very first time.

The Ambitious Project

The large-scale facility stands in the heart of Benin City, capital of the southern area of Edo – and includes an excavation site and facilities designed by renowned Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the Smithsonian African American Museum that was inaugurated in Washington DC in 2016.

It has been five years in the development – and is planned to showcase both the history and the modern times of cultural innovation in the region famous for the historic artworks, artworks taken from the city's royal palace by UK forces in the 19th Century.

Setup and Prospects

It is notable – and before the planned opening, Mowaa was active with workers resolved to show it is a venue that can rival well-known art institutions in the Europe and America.

Internally art restorers precisely revealed cultural items from protective packaging, inspecting each item and taking thorough documentation before arranging them on exhibition areas and plinths.

Experts calibrated temperature regulation systems. In the research lab, personnel set up devices intended to maintain historical artefacts.

Funding and Economic Goals

The venture has been the brainchild of investor Phillip Ihenacho – presently Mowaa's executive director.

"I hope us to have a major financial effect on communities around here," he stated to media outlets, noting that he wanted to make Benin City "an arts hub."

Mowaa, a non-profit national foundation, sees itself establishing in excess of 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and providing above $80m each year to the regional creative economy through collaborations and programming.

Investment and Administrative Problems

It has required $25m to get here – capital collected from different donors, including the French and German governments, the London institution and the local administration.

But currently the local government has withdrawn support from beneath it – terminating the occupancy of the site on which the facility was constructed.

An Edo state spokesperson stated this was because in the early agreements it had called itself EMOWAA – and it had later dropped "the regional name" from its name.

Unrest and Official Response

This statement was preceded by rallies on the weekend, when protesters entered the facility demanding it be called the Royal Benin Museum.

A boisterous group harassed international visitors at the venue before the inauguration – requiring them to be escorted out under police escort.

President Bola Tinubu has even become involved to try and resolve the tensions, creating a high-level committee to do some damage control.

Political Complexities

But how has this become so politicised – and such a reputation problem?

Much of it stems from internecine rivalries at a regional government level, as it was the ex-administrator Godwin Obaseki – whose administration finished last year – who was a key supporter of the project.

And it seems the administration of the recently elected official, a close ally of the area king, called the royal figure, may desire increased control in the venture. The protesters on Sunday, for instance, were insisting that the institution be positioned under the supervision of the royal leader.

The Historical Objects Discussion

This brings into focus the disputed topic of the cultural artifacts, one of the region's most renowned artistic heritage.

Because though the facility does eventually open, these bronzes will be noticeably missing.

They are metal, elephant tusk and timber carvings that once decorated the royal palace of the Benin Kingdom before UK forces stole them in 1897 during a military operation.

Nowadays, thousands continue to be scattered across galleries in Europe and North America -- including the London museum, Berlin's Humboldt Forum and the American museum.

Restitution Efforts

Their repatriation has become one of the most contested discussions in the international art community. About 150 have now been returned – and further are due to follow.

When ideas for the institution in Benin City were initially revealed in 2019, the influential figures on the national arts community expected it would become their natural home – a modern complex to display them to the world.

But the waters were muddied recently after the federal government announced that the traditional ruler would be the rightful owner of any returned bronzes – and the monarch's court pushed for a museum under the monarch's supervision, against the wishes of Obaseki.

Diplomatic Challenges

This placed Mowaa in a difficult situation: asserting a definite position on return while staying tactful on custodianship – and emphasising its broader vision, which led to|c